Some of the best advice out there tells us, to get cracking on that second book. Don't sit around waiting for your first book to do anything. Get out there and create something new.

Writing will help get your mind off of the waiting game and it will also help you in your journey to publication.

The more you write, the better at it you will be. It's a fact.

Most of our first attempts at writing will probably go the way of the shoe-box under the bed. Many of us already have those dusty manuscripts. If you are among those that have this, you know what I am saying. Compare your writing now with what you have written in the past.

No doubt you are a better writer today compared to, back then.

I have many, many, stories and drafts of old work sitting on my hard drive. I go back to them from time to time and see how different my writing is.

So the more we write the more we improve our writing. So taking time to write, while waiting serves duel purposes. It takes your mind off of the long wait that is the submissions process, and helps you learn how to create more and potentially better things for your next venture in publishing.

So, taking my own advice (and the advice of many people out there who are much smarter than me), I'm going to get back to work on book 2. I've got a partial out that I am hoping to hear back on. I need to break myself away from checking my email. I'm still holding to my end of August deadline, and if I get my butt back to work on it, I might hit that mark.

16 comments:

I need to do the same. I stopped querying for a while so I could get on with other things. I think if I throw myself into the next book instead of worrying about my first one, I'll be much happier. Good luck with your August deadline. I had a July deadline, but I'm thinking that's not going to happen. :)

Great pic! I agree with the advice. I was driving myself mad checking the inbox the first few weeks after I queried. How could I start writing something else so soon? My baby was out there being poked and judged. But after a few weeks, I forced myself back to the keyboard, and it was the best thing I could've done. It makes the rejections easier too because you know you have something else (even better hopefully) you're going to be sending out next time.

All I've tried subbing so far is a short story and I actually forgot I'd sent it out until the responses started coming back (all negative). I'm hoping to have a novel ready for querying by year's end and I'm dreading it.

But I do have enough ideas to get working on something new right away.

Well, I hope I'm a better writer. LOL That pic cracked me up because when I send out queries I'm totally checking my e-mail every chance I get! Or if it's snail mail, every day I'm at the mailbox as soon as possible. LOL

i'm glad i found your blog. you're pouring my heart out! Writing is at once full-filling, infuriating and liberating all at the same time. I'm crossing my fingers on publication, too...course, I gotta write the last few chapters still

Ugh, the waiting part is SO hard! I'm going through it now too. It helps if you have more than one ball in the air. I try to have at least 2 or 3 PB manuscripts out at a time. I figure if I can get enough balls in the air, one of them is bound to land well!

when my first book was on query. I wrote a second one - not a series - somethign totally different. I ended up finding an agent who is actually going to market with my second book. so it helps to keep writing - you never know.